Schoolyard gardens and woodsy field trips help kids learn about the environment. Now some educational programs are tackling infrastructure and the water cycle by teaching kids about stormwater management, even in elementary school.

At the Dalton School, a private prep school in New York City, the program for grades K - 3 transformed a small rooftop space just outside the science classroom into a multifaceted "Green Lab." There are a few planters, a cold frame, and a compost bin, but the showpiece of the project is a colorful wall - mounted contraption that moves rainwater from a higher neighboring roof through a series of pipes and water - movable features mounted at kid height for close - up viewing.

The landscape architect Liz Pulver, ASIA, of Town and Gardens Limited, who designed the project with the Dalton leadership and faculty, says that with space at a premium, a vertical design was the obvious solution. They originally planned to use a rain barrel to collect water from the upper roof but the compact rectangular form and stackability of recyclable plastic modular tanks made by Rainwater HOG worked better.

The bright orange tanks are clearly visible. Laura Haddad, a science teacher, says the interesting color and shapes capture kids attention. But they sit overhead on a ledge and out of the way. Water stored in the tanks powers a wall - mounted water wheel and a balance beam that holds removable buckets used to water plants. When it rains, the wheels and the beam move on their own, even when the tank valves are shut off Will Hopkins, the chairman of the schools science department, says the stormwater display has been the most popular feature of the new space, even for the littlest students. "For kids this age, its all about interactivity and exploration," he says. "We didnt want only plants, which require a lot of waiting." Farther uptown, Rocking the Boat, a boatbuilding and on - water environmental education program in the South Bronx, has converted the scrubby backyard of a furniture warehouse into a publicly accessible grassland and treatment wetland to manage runoff from the warehouses 30,000 - square - foot parking lot. The 10,000 - square - foot site is on the Bronx River, across from Concrete Plant Park and near Hunts Point Riverside Park. But the parks sit in a network of freeways, warehouses, and scattered trash transfer and scrap - metal recycling facilities that contribute to stormwater runoff and water quality problems.

Before the project was installed, says the hydrolo - gist Eric Rothstein of eDesign Dynamics, runoff from the parking lot collected in an underground catch basin, and when it filled up, a pump would blast it into the river. Now, a pipe connects the basin to the emergent herbaceous wetland. Theres a forebay for sediment accumulation, and during storms the water level in the wetland can rise up to nine inches deep, beyond which it goes into the

river. The volume captured by the wetland is essentially the "first flush" of a big storm, says Rothstein, and that runoff carries about 90 percent of the contaminants coming off the pavement.

Working off a design developed by the ecological artist Lillian Ball, 20 of Rocking the Boats teen - aged apprentices and program assistants helped to prepare the site and plant 8,000 plugs of salt - tolerant native grasses and other tough plants. They also helped install a pervious walkway and a seating area for visitors.

Projects like this represent an expansion of the groups original boatcentric mission. "Theres a lot of need in this area for water - based environmental science work," says Adam Green, Rocking the Boats founder and executive director. Funding is also available for storm - water projects, he says, and this kind of experience is valuable in the job market.

"These projects are part of a larger matrix of education and stewardship here," says Rothstein, a former parks department employee who has been working on restoration projects in the South Bronx for more than a decade. "I hope some of these kids get inspired to study biology or hydrology and come back to this community to continue the work."